Valdosta, Ga. -- The Lady Hawks are going to the championship! Shorter defeated top-seeded Valdosta State 8-6 Saturday to advance to the NCAA South Region I championship game. Game time is set for 1:00pm with the opponent to be determined.

The Lady Hawks move to 38-15 on the season with the win; while the Blazers go to 47-8 overall. Shorter also moves to 7-1 at Steel's Diamond this season.

Kendall Johnson gave the Lady Hawks the lead in the first inning on a two run homer to left field, plating Niki Cook. In the bottom of the inning Valdosta struck for one run, to cut the lead in half. But, Shorter came out swinging in the second inning; tacking on two more runs on two solo homeruns. First from Paige Rowland to lead off the inning, and then by Hannah Draper – her first of the season.

Again, the Blazers answered, tying the game on a three run homer from Jamie Phillips in the bottom of the second. Before adding two in the fourth to make it a 6-4 game. The Lady Hawks rallied in the fifth to plate two runs and tie the game as Ericka Bynum legged out a single to the shortstop; bringing in Cook and Tori Etheridge.

Johnson delivered the heroics this time with her second homer of the day – a two run shot to left field to put Shorter up, 8-6, in the top of the seventh. The lead proved to be enough as the Lady Hawks got Kelly Gordon to fly out to Cook to end the game; stranding a runner.

Kalei Kimbrell earned the win for Shorter, allowing no runs on one hit through 1.2 innings of work.

Johnson led the Lady Hawks with 2 hits on the day, both homeruns, with four RBI.